Reviews for 18 to Life, debuting in the US

CW’s ’18’ closer to ‘Gilmore Girls’ than ‘Gossip Girl’
“With so many Canadian imports arriving on American network television, I’ve devised a simple test to determine whether a show hails from north of the border. Do the characters look more like real people than supermodels? If so, look for the “Made in Canada” tag. Is the comedy writing a little less gag-driven than Hollywood fare? It just might be written by Canadians.” Read more.

From Glenn Garvin of the Miami Herald:

Review | ’18 to Life’: This teenage TV marriage no laughing matter
“Of course, I could be wrong, and 18 to Life might not be the bottom of the television barrel, in which case you need to drive a stake through your TV’s heart, stuff its remote with garlic and bury them in an unmarked grave. If there’s something worse than a sitcom about what a laff riot teenage marriage is, you don’t want to know.” Read more.

From Mark A. Perigard of the Boston Herald:

Newlywed Lame
“What if a couple of silly twits from â€œDegrassiâ€ decided to marry? The sitcom â€œ18 to Life,â€ the latest Canadian import to sneak onto our airwaves, plays like a spinoff of the long-running Teen Nick series.” Read more.

Canadian TV imports haven’t yielded many dividends yet to their U.S. network neighbors, other than to offer inexpensive time-fillers. So credit CW with finding a breezy, pleasant surprise with “18 to Life,” a comedy that’s tonally similar to the BBC’s “Gavin and Stacey,” where the central couple’s relationship is viewed through the expanded prism of their daft, mismatched families. Granted, it’s a familiar twist on coming-of-age comedy, but one graced with a light touch — at least, beyond its initial premise.
As for that set-up, 18-year-old neighbors Jessie (Stacey Farber) and Tom (Michael Seater) have seen their childhood friendship blossom into romance, when a “Truth or Dare” game yields an unintended proposal — namely, her “dare” that Tom propose. After a moment’s hesitation, he does, and Jessie agrees.

Not surprisingly, this news is not embraced by Tom’s straightlaced parents (Peter Keleghan, Ellen David), who suddenly rediscover their Jewish roots, even if that means having to remember their rabbi’s name; or Jessie’s folks (Al Goulem, Angela Asher), earth-loving hippies who wonder if Tom needs help from the Kama Sutra to satisfy their daughter’s sexual needs.

The announcement also perplexes the pair’s friends, what with Tom’s plans to attend college suddenly thrown up in the air.

Produced by Derek Schreyer and Karen Troubetzkoy, “18 to Life” takes a laidback approach to whether these crazy kids really have a chance of making it together, pursuing their narrative in single-camera, semi-serialized fashion.

And while the show doesn’t yield many belly laughs, it’s warm and effective — aided by the kids being inherently likable, even if the parents (foremost Keleghan as Tom’s tightly wound dad) get all the best lines.

Lacking anything similar in its drama-laden lineup (“Life Unexpected” probably comes closest), CW will air back-to-back episodes in the 9 p.m. hour, but the show does point toward a comedy niche for the netlet — hitting as it does upon neatly universal themes about young love and when kids are ready to flee the nest.

Production has already begun in Montreal on a second season, meaning any sign of life in this summer tryout could yield a return engagement. With: Tiio Horn.